Denial
by Eden79
Summary: After Jack rejects Sam, SG1 visits a new planet where circumstances force them to re-evaluate their priorities. Please review! This is my first fanfic and I would appreciate any thoughts!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

As the words were leaving her mouth, Sam wished she hadn't said them, wanted to bite them back - but there was no un-ringing the bell. Left with no other option, she watched Colonel Jack O'Neill with nervous blue eyes.

And there she saw something that she didn't expect - wished for, but hadn't allowed herself to hope. It was only there an instant, and then the wall went up again. Sam found it interesting that raw emotion could be so openly displayed one second, just to be replaced in the next instant with ... nothing.

But oh yeah, it had definitely been there. Sam was sure of it. In his eyes had been the unspoken answer to the question she should never have asked - and it gave her just enough courage to see this conversation through.

Jack, for his part, hoped he didn't look like he'd almost swallowed his tongue. He couldn't believe what she had said, and the fact she tacked a "Sir" on the end of it. As his brain put itself back together, he realized that he would NOT allow her to make a sacrifice like this - no matter how much he wanted her to. Because what he wanted didn't matter - if it had the frat regs wouldn't have stopped him.

So he cleared his throat and said what a good soldier ought to say. "Carter, under no circumstances can I allow you to sacrifice your career." In frustration, Sam watched Jack's wall go back up. "Dammit!"

Jack's head snapped up to see her standing there with balled fists. "Don't shut me out!"

"Carter-"

"No!" She spat the word out. "It's _Sam_."

"Carter," he tried again, his tone a little gentler. "You mean too much to me for you to make a sacrifice like that. You're my friend and I would never ask you to do that for me."

"Friend?" she echoed unbelievingly.

"Friend," he repeated, trying not to choke on the word. After all this time he figured he should be used to this, but he never was. "And a good officer," he managed. "And far too valuable to the SGC as a scientist."

Blue eyes filled with tears. Could she have been so wrong? She couldn't have been. She knew how he felt. She _knew_ it. But she also knew in that moment that it didn't matter. Regardless of his feelings, his words clearly told her what his decision was.

Sam wasn't capable of avoiding bursting into tears at that moment, so instead she high-tailed it out of her own lab.

It was time to move on. Sam knew in her heart that this was probably not possible, but she had to tell herself it was to preserve her sanity. She had asked for a week off, hoping the time would be used to explore the beginning of her relationship with Jack without work getting in the way. And possibly prepare transfer or resignation papers. Now it would be used to get over her humiliation at being rejected. And eat copious amounts of Ben and Jerry's.


	2. Chapter 2

Daniel had been able to sense the dark change in his friend's mood. The sarcasm was still there, but there was a dark edge to it, the playful teasing gone for the most part. And he instinctively knew it had something to do with Sam. Any attempts to broach the subject were met with threatening glares and stonewalling.

Maybe a few beers would loosen him up, Daniel figured. So on the last day of Sam's week off, he convinced a pissy Jack to join him and Teal'c at their favorite bar downtown. Had he known who was there, he wouldn't have gone near the damn place.

Jack tried to get himself together as he drove himself to meet his friends. He knew he shouldn't be acting this way. He had done what was necessary to keep Carter from throwing her life away. But he could never get his heart to agree with him. He knew there was a bond between them. And even though neither one of them could do anything about it right now, he still felt that there was an unspoken understanding between them: they belonged to each other.

So heading into the bar with Daniel and Teal'c, he was surprised - to say the least - to see her out with a man he had never seen before. He was tall, good-looking, and smiling at Sam in a way that made Jack feel murderous. Betrayal shot through him like a hot poker, and he tried to look non-committal.

Sam caught sight of them and waved. She stood up, grabbing pretty boy's hand and pulling him after her as she made her way to her three best friends.

"Hey!" she said affectionately to the group. She gestured toward pretty boy. "This is David," she told them, and the man extended a hand toward Daniel first, then Teal'c. "These are my co-workers," she told him, smiling. "Daniel, Teal'c...and my _friend_, Jack."

The little dig was not lost on Jack and his eyes darkened to the color of coal. Daniel and Teal'c exchanged a look as David shook Jack's hand and said, "It's nice to meet Sammie's friends."

Sammie? Jack fumed, wondering if his grip on the man's hand was solid enough to flip him to the ground and soundly beat the hell out of him. At Sam's invitation, the three arrivals followed Sam and David back to their table. Daniel cast a quick glance in Jack's direction. His jaw was set and his whole body tense. This was not working out the way Daniel had planned. Shit.

"So. _Sammie_," Jack said sarcastically as he settled into a seat next to her. "I take it you've had a nice vacation?"

Her eyes flashed, the pain of a few days ago hidden from everyone but Daniel. "Yes, Sir," she replied stiffly, and then smiled widely in David's direction, who promptly smiled back. "It gave me an opportunity to...re-evaluate my...priorities."

"Oh yeah?" Jack replied. "How so? Running around town with strange men has made it to the top of your priorities now?"

Icy fire snapped in Sam's eyes as she tore them away from her date and pinned them squarely on Jack. Daniel closed his eyes and swore under his breath. Teal'c remained stoic.

"Not at all, _sir_," she replied, spitting the honorific more like an expletive. "David and I have been inseparable since we met last week. It's nice to spend time with someone shows his true feelings."

Jack decided he would like to show his true feelings at the moment, but his face remained in a deadly calm. David shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"And," she added, not knowing when to quit, "who I spend my time with is not any of your business."

Jack choked on his beer. "That's interesting, _Sammie_," he replied. "You seemed pretty interested in making it my business last week." Daniel's mouth fell open, and Teal'c raised an eyebrow, which for him meant he was stunned.

"Last week I wasn't thinking straight. You'll have to forgive the lapse in judgment. Surely as my _friend_, you can understand that." And it was at that point Sam knew she had gone too far.

Jack's face turned a deep crimson and his eyes flashed murderously. With a dangerous calm, he returned Sam's stare and set his beer on the table. Glaring at the group, he got to his feet and grabbed his jacket. "Great idea, Daniel," he sneered. And with that he was out of there.

* * *

Sam closed her eyes as she splashed cold water on her face, trying to wash away the memories of earlier that night. How could she have been so stupid? She wasn't looking forward to going back to the SGC the next day. Instead of recovering from her humiliation, she'd added to the awkwardness she was sure would follow once she arrived back.

That date with David had been the last. The distraction had helped somewhat during her week off, but her heart wasn't in it, and she knew it. It wouldn't have been fair to him to carry it any further.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror, water streaming down her face, mingling with tears. She would probably always love Jack, she thought. Might was well be resigned to it.

But at least his reaction, unpleasant as it had been, showed he still had feelings for her. That made her feel a bit better. Then she sighed. She was back to clinging to little pieces of hope - a word, a look, a smile - that Jack cared for her. She'd done it for years. Why stop now?


	3. Chapter 3

That never gets old, Jack thought the next day, watching the Gate roar to life. The team was preparing to visit a new planet, and he surveyed the room, instinctively locating his 2IC. She was loading herself up with doohickeys of all kinds for this mission. She caught his eye uncertainly and attempted a smile. Jack looked away, his jaw tense, and seeing Sam's face fall in his periphery. He knew she was hurt by his behavior, and he felt like a jackass for it, but his own anger was still getting in the way.

Sam's emotions flickered across her face only for a fraction of a second before she got them under control. She tried her best to focus her thoughts away from Jack and on the mission, which, despite her jackass CO, she was really looking forward to.

This planet was virtually unknown, having recently been given the thought-provoking name P3X-194. Even though her background was astrophysics, not botany, Sam often found herself in the enviable position of being the first to discover and examine alien plant life. Three of her previous discoveries were in testing phases now, one a particularly promising possibility for treating cancer.

She couldn't wait to see what was next.

Smiling affectionately at Daniel and Teal'c, and avoiding Jack's eyes altogether, Sam stepped through the gate with her three comrades. They were met with a scorching, desolate world. Hot, dry sun beat down on the four, and Sam was disappointed to find no plant life of any kind in sight. P3X-194 looked positively deserted.

"So," Jack said. "This is nice."

Sam was in no mood, the letdown hitting her harder than she'd like to admit. She'd wanted a distraction and wasn't going to get one. She marched a few steps ahead of the group and started busying herself with all of her equipment. Jack watched her for a few minutes and decided that, while he was still pissed (betrayed and hurt actually, but hell no would he ever admit that to himself), he had to at least try to act professional on the job.

One of the other instruments beeped at her and she knelt to examine it. "Sir."

"What?"

"I'm picking up an odd rock formation about 2 miles north of here."

"So?" This was about as pleasant as he could get.

"The majority of this planet is devoid of any kind of plant life and structures, manmade or natural. It's completely flat - no hills, mountains, not even trees. Except for this rock formation. I think we should go check it out."

Indeed, thought Jack, borrowing one of Teal'c signature phrases.

* * *

Sam stood on the outside of the rock formation's perimeter. Botanical disappointment forgotten, she and Daniel were now enthusiastically studying their new find, their doohickeys taking all kinds of readings and Daniel spouting something about ancient cultures.

The structure somewhat resembled Stonehenge, set in a circular shape. Coming upon the structure, the first thing the team saw were a series of stones set up to resemble a doorway into the circle's center. A weird looking statue was on the ground to the right, keeping guard.

"Hey," Jack had said upon their arrival. "That looks like a - like a-" his mind searched for the word.

"Gargoyle, Sir," Sam supplied.

"Yeah. That." He leaned over to look at the damn thing. Pretty typical of what you'd expect, he decided. But a creepier, alien version of a gargoyle. And that so far had been the highlight of the trip.

Teal'c now stood serenely taking the scene in, and Jack was bored to hell. The structure had been somewhat interesting at first, but the novelty had quickly worn off. He was staring off in the distance, thinking about next Saturday's poker game, when he caught a few snippets of Daniel and Sam's conversation.

"- so have you spoken to - what's his name?"

"David," Sam replied. "No. After what happened last night I thought -"

"Thought what exactly?" Jack snapped, hating that they would know he was eavesdropping but unable to help himself.

"Thought that maybe you should mind your own business. Sir." She started at him evenly. Jack felt his temperature rise and he opened his mouth to retort something, when his eyes were drawn to the alien statue. His eyes widened. What the hell?

"What the hell?" Daniel said, slowly stepping away from it. Looking like something out of a B horror movie, the statue's eyes began glowing menacingly and it rotated in Jack and Sam's direction. Jack's anger vanished and without thought, he immediately stepped in front of Sam, his body aware of where she was in proximity to him.

As the group watched in nervous anticipation, waiting for - they didn't know what - it suddenly looked like someone flipped an off switch. It stopped moving and the light died from its eyes. Silence ensued. The moment was decidedly anti-climactic.

"Huh," said Jack, letting out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"It's some sort of weird alien technology," said Daniel, Master of the Obvious. He had walked back toward the statue and was examining it raptly. Jack rolled his eyes."Thanks, Danny-boy," he said dryly. "But I think everyone figured _that_ out on their own."

Daniel waved a dismissive hand in Jack's direction, which was more of a response than he usually got when Daniel was enthralled in some new discovery."I've never seen anything quite like this before," babbled Daniel, nearly incoherent in his excitement. "This is amazing!"

Didn't matter. Jack decided immediately that the mission was over, and they were sooo out of there. He opened his mouth to give the order when the statue started to shift, scooting to the left as the outline of a door appeared.

Oh yeah, they were so outta there. But suddenly a young woman seemed to appear in the space where the "door" was. Tall and slender, she had flowing hair the color of corn silk, piercing green eyes, and wore something that resembled a toga. The team gaped.

Except Teal'c of course. He could handle Armageddon nonchalantly.

The woman's eyes and face were stern and threatening as she regarded the team. Oddly, she visibly relaxed when she looked towards the statue. Her face broke into a smile. "The threat has been eliminated," she purred, obviously pleased, and turned now-happy green eyes toward the rest of the group.

"I am Princess Mira," she continued. "May I ask who are you?"

Jack continued to gape so Sam stepped forward. "We're travelers," she said, using their standard vague answer. Jack found his voice.

"I'm Col Jack O'Neill," he said, "And what the hell-"

Sam stepped in before Jack could cause an interplanetary incident. "It's eyes lit up and - "

Mira looked at them with intensity. "Was someone angry? Or unhappy? Or jealous?"

"No," Jack said petulantly. No one believed him. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Strong negative emotions activate the patronus."

"The pa- what?" said Jack. Daniel stepped to his side. "The word 'patronus' is Latin for 'protector,'" he whispered to Jack. Mira continued.

"The patronus keeps watch over our city," she said. "When travelers come close to the entrance, it can discern a person's character and intentions. If they would mean us harm, it eliminates them."

"But we don't have bad intentions," said Daniel. "So why would it light up?"

"If your intentions are honorable but your emotions in turmoil, it's possible you could also be destroyed. It appears you terminated your negative emotion before the patronus found its target."

Jack was not one to blush, but he could feel the sting of one beginning on his cheeks.

Mira bestowed another brilliant smile, this one only for Jack. "Is it not marvelous?"Wondering if sarcasm counted as a strong negative emotion, Jack decided to keep his tongue in check.

"Indeed," he said, borrowing one of his favorite Jaffa's key phrases. Teal'c characteristically raised an eyebrow.

Mira stepped forward and intimately tucked one of her arms through Jack's. "Come with me," said smoothly, and guided him toward the entrance. Jack stopped, jerking Mira and she looked at him in surprise.

"Where exactly are you planning to take us?"Mira looked confused. "Did I not just to tell you?" she replied. "To our city." She looked back at the others as if seeing them for the first time. "There is no need to worry," she smiled reassuringly. "Please, come be guests of our city."

Daniel cleared his throat, the scientist in him gearing up. "Jack, we may want to go with her. It would, um, show a gesture of goodwill."

Jack wasn't so sure that _they_ needed to be the ones showing a gesture of goodwill. He suspected Daniel was already dreaming of the possible technology he'd find.


	4. Chapter 4

The stone entrance was a portal of some sort, Jack realized as he and Mira stepped through it. What was desert and heat one minute was lush vegetation and cool breezes the next.

He looked behind him to see the rest of his team. Then he directed his gaze to his new surroundings. They were in courtyard of a massive building.

Fountains and soft music were interspersed with foliage. In the center of the courtyard was what appeared to be a gathering place. Stone steps sloped downward to a wide open area.

"Welcome to my home," Mira said, directing her words and expressions only to Jack. "We are honored to have you here."

"Uh, thanks," Jack managed. He felt, rather than saw, his three companions give each other sidelong glances. The fact that they were being all but ignored had not been lost on anyone.

In the corner of his eye he could sense someone coming towards them, and he instinctively spun to see who it was. "Father!" Mira exclaimed, running to the large, burly man and hugging him. "The patronus activated and I found this traveler."

"If the patronus was activated then why did you allow him into the city?"

"There is no reason to worry, Father," Mira soothed, linking her arm with his as she had done with Jack. "It deactivated, so I believe they are not a threat to us." She batted her eyelashes at him, and like any father who adores his child, he was toast. Jack knew who wore the pants - or whatever - in this little family.

Mira bestowed another smile on her father as she gestured excitedly towards Jack. "This is Jack O'Neill," she said, as if showing off a shiny new toy. Jack heard a "harrumph" from behind him and smiled inwardly. Sam had so noticed Mira's...attention...toward him. Good.

Jack realized she didn't know anyone else's name, but he was surprised when she ignored his friends completely. When it became clear she wasn't going to introduce anyone else, Jack cleared his throat and gestured toward the group. "And this is my team: Daniel, Teal'c...and my_ friend_, Sam."

Sam didn't have the emotional energy at that moment to engage him, so she ignored the remark. This wasn't the time or place anyway, she thought, as she and Daniel and Teal'c politely nodded.

"This is my father, King Vidas. Father," she lowered her voice and whispered something to him. Vidas' eyes lit up. "Well we are certainly pleased to have you," he boomed, enthusiastically pumping Jack's hand in a surprisingly earth-like gesture. "You must join us tonight for our banquet as our honored guest." He glanced at Sam, Daniel and Teal'c. "And your companions, of course," he added as an afterthought.

This was just fucking weird, Jack decided. Either ignoring his subordinates was some custom he didn't understand, or these people were just plain rude. He didn't care enough to stick around and find out which one it was. "Well thanks," he said, "but we really should head off before then. I actually have a poker game coming up on Saturday and -" Daniel elbowed him in the ribs. "Jack," he hissed. "We really need to stay for this."

"Why? I don't see anything we would be interested in and they're totally ignoring you guys-"

"Doesn't matter. That could be the custom, since you're the leader. Might be a sign of respect to you. Besides, you know we've been authorized to stay a couple of days. And I for one would like to see what I can find out about that patronus or any other kind of technology they may have."

"Yeah I bet you would."

"Play nice, Jack."

He sighed. I guess it wouldn't hurt, he thought. Maybe the food would be good. Turning to Mira and her father, Jack said it would be an honor to attend, or something like that. Mira's eyes lit up.

"You will need to make sure you're appropriately dressed," she said smoothly, and Jack was dismayed. Their version of appropriate could very well be his version of hell.

"I will see that acceptable attire has been provided for you in your chambers. After you dress you will be escorted to dinner in a few hours."

"Did they say what they were having?" Jack said, right before Daniel elbowed him in the ribs.

* * *

Jack squirmed in his "appropriate" new attire, his previous assessment of their taste in clothing correct. Sighing, he made his way out of his room. Each team member had been given their own room, all leading out into a common area.

"Hey guys," Jack called just before entering the common room. "I don't know about you, but I'm not crazy about these outfits-" when he saw his team the rest of his words died in his throat.

The difference in their dress was immediately apparent. Sam, Daniel and Teal'c wore simple tunic-like clothing in a soft blue. Jack, on the other hand, was wearing brilliant purple robes made of silk.

"What gives?" Jack said, looking at Daniel, who was also at a loss. "I don't know," he replied, "this could signify your role in the group as our leader? It's only a guess."

Jack tugged at his robes impatiently. "I don't like them," he understated.

"Your...getup? Or these people?"

"Both," he responded immediately. "But I was referring to my clothes. I'm gonna go get my BDUs-"

"No, Jack," Daniel cut in. "We need to go along with their rules and their culture."

"Daniel's right, sir," Sam agreed, though reluctance was obvious in her voice. "I don't want to see what type other means they have for dealing with..." she groped for the right word- "insubordination.

"They had a point. "Fine. When in Rome and all that," he consented irritably with a wave of his hand.

At that moment Mira entered, wearing a dress made in the identical silk as Jack's. If you could call it a dress, because Jack was pretty sure this getup didn't qualify. A long flowing skirt with huge slits up both sides and what resembled a bikini top was all there was to it. Straw colored hair was pulled up high on her head and flowers of the same purple had been threaded through her tresses.

She was, quite simply, stunning.

Jack was proud of himself that he showed no reaction, especially hearing Daniel's breath catch and feeling Sam stiffen beside him. Surprisingly he found himself feeling a bit sorry for her. She was every bit as stunning as Mira, but he was sure she didn't feel it in the oversized blue robes she'd been given. At that moment, Jack realized that her robe was exactly identical to Daniel's and Teal'c's. Biting back a reaction for the second time in approximately a millisecond, he figured out that Mira had provided Sam with men's attire.

Mira caught Jack's eye and gave him a brilliant smile, walking his way, and again threaded her arm through his. "Come," she purred seductively. "My people await." And with that she led Jack out of the palace and into the courtyard. With a backward glance at his comrades, he shrugged and gestured them to follow. They did, and Jack found he was pleased that Sam looked like she'd just been fed a lemon.

The courtyard they'd walked through this morning had been completely transformed. What looked like fancy-pants tiki torches lit their way toward the crowd of people waiting for them. Vines and flowers had been woven throughout the tiki torches, and the heady scent of some sort of flower filled the air.

Grinning widely, Mira pulled Jack toward the waiting crowd, her father Vidas standing in the center of the group with a wide smile. Jack tried not to frown as the wheels turned in his head. Something was off. A sidelong glance at Daniel, who had moved closer to Jack, confirmed that the young scientist had also noticed. Sam continued her sour face, and Teal'c was, again, nonchalant.

As the group approached the chatter of the crowd dissipated and was replaced with raucous applause. Mira lifted her free arm and did her best Miss America impression, twisting her wrist towards one side of the crowd, then the other.

"Welcome! Welcome!" Vidas boomed robustly, striding towards them. "What a pleasure it is to serve our honored guest." Again, the singular term was not lost on the group. Was only one of them being honored? Apparently, and everyone in the group knew who it was.

Jack swallowed, then realized he was expected to say something. Oh shit."Um. Thank you," he began haltingly, "we are...._all_...honored to be here."

That seemed acceptable, Jack figured, because Vidas smiled widely again and gestured towards what looked like two oversized silk pillows set up in the middle of the shindig. Mira pulled him in that direction.

"Wait," he told Mira, "what about everyone else?" Mira merely smiled and pulled little more insistently. He was about to argue when he remember Daniel's earlier caution to just go along with whatever.

Left to their own devices, his three friends found seats among the crowd. He looked back to make sure Sam was with at least one of them. These people seemed friendly and Sam was more than capable of taking care of herself, but he didn't want her to be alone. The feeling that something was off had grown considerably in Jack's mind as he tried to position himself on one of the pillows without making a fool of himself.

"We are honored to have you here as our guest," Vidas said again, the turned his direction toward the crowd. "This is a day we have waited for many years." Jack was startled. Waited? For what? Jack redoubled his efforts to spot his friends.

"Let us begin our feast!" With a clap of Vidas' hands, servants appeared from nowhere holding trays of various foods. Everyone was quickly served. One servant came forward, and, bowing, placed a goblet in Jack's hand. Vidas, Mira, and the crowd watched him with anticipation shining in their eyes.

Jack was at a loss. What was he supposed to do with this? He searched the expectant crowd for Daniel. When his eyes landed on the young scientist, the confusion on Jack's face was evident to Daniel. Not knowing what to do (he had never been here before - why was he expected to have all the answers?), Daniel lifted one of his hands and made a drinking motion.

What the hell, Jack thought. It was a cup after all; seemed logical enough. Jack lifted the goblet to his lips and took a tentative sip. The liquid, whatever it was, was incredibly sweet and had a very high alcohol content.

After drinking, he wasn't sure what to do. No one reached to take the cup from him and there was nowhere to set it. Mira was looking at him, eyes slipping to the goblet and back to his face. Expectant.

Okay. So she was thirsty? It was kind of gross that she would want to drink after a stranger, but whatever. Jack uncertainly lifted the cup in her direction.

Mira's eyes lit up and she eagerly took the cup from his hands, taking a drink, then grinning at her father. Vidas returned his daughter's smile and nodded at her.

Oh for crying out loud, Jack thought. What in the world was this? The best he could figure it was some sort of welcoming ceremony. He searched the crowd instinctively for Carter. He found her, the third row of people from the front. She was looking quite unhappy. When Jack saw a large, rather good looking man fawning over her, Jack felt rather unhappy himself. Carter didn't look the least bit interested, but Jack couldn't help but feel a stab of jealousy.

No, he was just concerned, he tried to tell himself. But he knew better. He craned his neck for a better view. Who was that guy?

Vidas' voice jerked him from his reverie. "O'Neill, please come forward." He noticed Mira had left her pillow and was standing next to her father, holding a wreath of white flowers. Jack struggled to his feet, biting his tongue when his knees complained, and walked to the front.

Mira's smile unsettled him a bit as he came to stand before her and Vidas. "Please kneel," Mira said. Oh for crying out loud, he thought again. But he did it. Mira placed the wreath on his head. Giggling a little as she did so.

Jack was not a flowery person, so did not care for plants to be on his head. The scent of the flowers was strong, overpoweringly sweet.

"It is an honor to have you as my son," Vidas boomed with a large grin at Jack. "My people, please welcome my daughter's new husband, Jack O'Neill!"

Jack nearly fell over. As the crowd burst into enthusiastic applause, Jack saw his friends' jaws drop collectively. Even Teal'c was dumbfounded. Vidas slapped him enthusiastically on the back as Jack struggled to his feet, where Mira promptly jumped into his arms and kissed him.

This had gotten out of hand _fast_.


	5. Chapter 5

"Shit. What in the hell -" But Jack's voice was drowned out in the drum of the crowd: clapping, laughing, cheering, offering congratulations. After another Heimlich-like slap on the back from Vidas, Mira grabbed his hand and drug him down through the courtyard. He tried to jerk away, hollering, but the throng surrounded them and he was pushed along in the current.

Jack tried to find his friends, but they were lost to him in the sea of faces. He did manage to get a glimpse of Sam, and if he had been able to stop in his tracks he would've. Betrayal as raw as his own the night before was etched on her face. She stared at him and Mira murderously, and then Jack saw her turn away. A hand went up to violently wipe her eyes.

With his heart sinking, Jack allowed himself to be dragged through the crowd, into the palace, and straight to - Jack realized too late - their honeymoon suite. After a few dazed moments, he snapped out of it and turned on Mira.

"What the hell is this?!"

Mira, who had been making her way toward Jack with a seductive look on her face, stopped short and looked surprised. "What are you talking about?"

"I'M TALKING ABOUT WE'RE FUCKING MARRIED AND I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON!"

Mira looked confused. "But you drank from the cup. If you didn't want to marry me you shouldn't have handed it to me."

"WHAT?"

"Everything went according to the prophecy -"

"Prophecy? What prophecy?"

"My great-great-great grandmother foretold that the king's daughter would marry a traveler from a far off land. I am the first daughter born in three generations, and you're the first traveler who's come here in the last 75 years. Of course it was you."

Jack gaped. He was so undone he didn't know what to say next. Finally he went with the next logical question. "Why didn't anyone tell _me_ what was going on?"

Another confused look. "There's no discussion beforehand. There never is. It was no different than any other wedding."

"Maybe this is the way it's done...here," Jack stopped himself from saying _on your_ _planet_. "But where I come we don't have quite the same format!"

Jack could tell that Mira didn't quite believe him, but gave him a crash course in their weddings anyway. "The man is called to the front by the woman's father. He is given the cup, and if he so chooses to marry, he drinks from the cup and offers it to his bride. It symbolizes that he will provide for her needs for the remainder of her life. The woman crowns his head with flowers, to symbolize that he will be allowed to deflower her." She grinned suggestively.

Jack felt a little dizzy. Deflower? "I thought it was a welcoming ceremony," he said stupidly.

To his surprise, Mira burst out laughing. "A welcoming ceremony? It was a wedding, and you knew it."

Jack took her by the shoulders and bent down to look her squarely in the face. "No, Mira. For the last time, I _did not know_ this was a wedding ceremony."

Mira stared at him and, for the first time, she got it. Understanding crossed her face. "So you did not want to marry me." It was a statement, not a question.

"Mira," Jack said, switching tactics and trying to sound sympathetic. "This is all very flattering, but -"

"But what?" Her eyes searched his face, looking for love in his face and not finding it.

To say he was uncomfortable would've been an understatement. Mira was no doubt beautiful, but oddly Jack felt next to nothing when he looked at her. He tried to lie to himself, but he knew the real reason.

She was no Sam Carter. Not by a long shot. Jack suppressed a sigh. "This could never work," he tried again. "We're from two different worlds." Literally, he thought.

She looked at him accusatorily. "Your feelings are for another," she said, understanding but not liking it.

Jack held up his hands. "I never said that."

"You don't have to," Mira replied. "I see it on your face. Whenever you look at that _Carter_." She spat Sam's name.

Jack was surprised. Was it that obvious? That someone he hadn't known before yesterday could tell?

She set her jaw petulantly. "It does not matter," she said. "You are _my_ husband now, and you will love me in time. You are the one my ancestor foretold of. It cannot be any other way."

Jack sighed. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

Sam was pretty sure she was going to throw up. Jack? Married? It hit her in her gut. She balled her small hands into fists, trying to still the shaking, and willed the tears away. The fact that he didn't even know it was happening didn't matter to her. She had just watched a man she had loved for years pledge marriage to another woman. The man who called her out in front of her friends for having a _date_ last night, for chrissakes. And here he was married. She closed her eyes and fought back nausea.

"Sam?" Daniel touched her arm. He had managed to thread his way through the crowd to her side. Sam opened her eyes and saw Daniel looking back at her with understanding. "He had no idea what was going on," he gently reminded her.

Sam had long ago given up the pretense that she had no feelings for her CO - to Daniel at least, who was maddeningly perceptive. She attempted a smile. "I know. But now we're primed for an interplanetary incident if we don't play this just right."

Although, she thought, she would risk an interplanetary incident if it meant she could give Mira a good bitchslapping.

* * *

Jack managed to last the night unscathed. Mira was pissed but she was leaving him alone for now. In the light of dawn Jack snuck out of their suite - ugh - and made his way to the courtyard where he knew he would find his friends. Sure enough, he found the other three huddled close together, talking in low voices. Jack got the distinct feeling that they were talking about him. The hush that fell over them at his approach was a pretty good indicator, he thought.

They turned in his direction. "Hey guys," he said brightly, attempting cheerfulness.

"Good Morning O'Neilll," Teal'c said. "I trust you had a good night?"

Daniel snorted. Sam stared stonily in another direction.

Sensing Sam's ire - how could he not - Jack turned his growing discomfort on his favorite archaeologist. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh come on," Daniel said, exasperated. "I was just kidding. I know nothing happened."

"Damn right nothing happened," Jack muttered, carefully avoiding Sam's unbelieving eyes. This time it was she who snorted. "Give me a break, _sir_. I think we all had a pretty good idea of what went on."

"Oh really? And why would you care anyway?" he snapped, eyes growing dark.

"I don't," she lied, hoping she looked disdainful.

"Yeah. Go tell it to pretty boy."

"Who?"

"_You know who_."

Daniel interrupted what was going to be a repeat of the scene at the bar two nights ago. "Hey guys, let's just figure out a way out of this mess."

"Why?" Jack said.

"What do you mean 'why'? You _want _to stay married to her?" Sam looked stricken.

That wasn't what Jack was going to say. But what the hell. Turnabout was fair play. "Why not? Have you _seen_ her?"

Sam flushed furiously as Jack continued. "I mean keeping her..._satisfied_...maybe it would help foster...relations...between this planet and Earth. It's a tough job but I'd be willing to take one for the team. Who knows Carter? Maybe you could give me some tips on what women like. You know, from one _friend_ to another?"

"The only tip I'd like to give you is -"

"Oh for crying out loud Carter!" he said. "No, I don't want to stay married to her. "What I meant was, why bother? Let's just haul ass through the Stargate and forget about this goddamned planet."

"You know it's not as simple as that, Jack," Daniel admonished. "We have to continue diplomatic relations with other planets when possible. You never know when we could need their help - or their planet - if something happens with the Goa'uld. Or anything else, for that matter."

"'When possible?'" Jack echoed. "Can't we just say it wasn't possible?"

"No. We have to put forth a good faith effort. And you know that."

Jack conceded. Daniel was right. Besides, Jack didn't like the idea of being married to anyone in any sense of the word. When he thought of ever getting married again, he usually only thought of one person, and would immediately have to stuff that thought away. Even though they were so pissed at each other at this point they could hardly see straight.

"Okay Daniel," he sighed. "How do we get this annulled - or whatever?"

Daniel furrowed his brow. "I don't know," he replied. "I'm not familiar with the customs of these people."

"Ain't that the damn truth. If you had I wouldn't be married now."

Daniel threw up his hands. "Just b/c I've studied several cultures doesn't mean that I understand the nuances of all of them."

"Nuances? This was a wedding, Daniel! That's a pretty big nuance!"

Teal'c stepped in. "Perhaps we should avoid assigning blame and work toward a solution."

"Some wedding that was. There wasn't even any cake."

* * *

Jack managed to sneak back into his room before Mira awoke. When she finally did yawn and stretch, she shot a cranky look in his direction. "Good morning," Jack attempted.

Mira had yet to get over his rejection of her the night before. Ignoring his greeting, she rose from the bed, where she had slept alone, and stomped toward the bathing room. She was in there a few seconds, apparently hoping Jack would follow her, and popped her head out when she realized he wasn't.

"Are you coming?"

Jack lifted up his hands. "Nah I'm good. Had a shower this morning."

Mira placed her hands on her hips. "That makes no difference," she replied. "It is customary for the husband and wife to share a bath the morning after the marriage."

Oh shit, he thought. "Um," he said stupidly. "Why?"

"It is part of the tradition after the marriage is consummated."

If Jack had been drinking anything he would have choked on it. "But we didn't-"

""COME IN HERE!" and Jack was so startled he stood up and backed away a few feet. For a moment they stared each other down, neither one willing to give in. Finally Mira stomped back in the bathing room in a huff. Jack snuck out again.

* * *

Several hours later, Jack could see Daniel coming down the hallway at lightning speed, jubilation in his step. "Found it!" he exulted, joining his best friends in their circle on the courtyard grounds. In his hands he held a very old-looking book, no doubt from the library he'd conned one of the servants into letting him in

.Not much for books of any kind, Jack wondered how bored he was going to be for the next few minutes. As it turned out, not that bored.

"Found what?" Sam said sourly.

"A way for this marriage to be contested _and_ Mira to save face." That got everyone's attention. "If we play it just right, Mira will be unscathed, win public sympathy, and have no trouble finding a new husband."

"Okay I'll bite," Jack said. "What is it?"

Daniel paused, ready for the part that would prove to be unpopular to one SGC member in particular. He looked at Sam. "You would have to contest the marriage."

Sam looked at Daniel as if he had sprouted a third arm. "I'm sorry?"

Daniel opened the book he was carrying and skimmed to the page he wanted. "It says here," he said, pointing to an area in the book no one could see, "that a marriage may be contested by a 'spurned lover.'"

"What?" Sam and Jack cried in unison, one enraged, one amused beyond belief.

Daniel looked at her sheepishly. "There's a celebratory banquet tonight for the, um, happy couple. You would have to attend the banquet tonight and bring a formal complaint to the king in front of everyone."

"And say _what_ exactly?"

Daniel shrugged. "Something along the lines of, 'I saw him first so he's mine.'"

Sam's jaw dropped and Jack giggled like a seventh grader. "See Carter?" he said. "I knew we'd find a way out of this."

"Because," Daniel continued hurriedly, "if another woman lays a claim and says she was his...whatever...then the man is more or less considered an adulterer, making the marriage null and void."

"So I have to make an ass of myself in front of everyone? I'd just as soon slap the snot out of that little bitch and be done with it." She seethed venom.

"Whoa Carter," Jack grinned widely, and Sam fixed him with a look.

"I am not doing this. Absolutely not," Sam set her jaw. "No way in hell."

"I don't know Carter," Jack countered with a huge grin. "This kinda works for me."

"What?"

"Oh yeah. Watch you tell the world how much you lo-"

Sam cut him off. "You mean lie through my teeth."

"Whatever Carter -"

"And you're okay with being labeled an adulterer?"

"I've been called worse. So please stop looking like you've swallowed a lemon and start thinking about how you'll express your undying love for me to the king."


	6. Chapter 6

Sam sighed at her reflection in the mirror. She knew she looked ridiculous in her light blue outfit. The fact that it matched Daniel's and Teal'c's exactly only exacerbated her irritation.

Mira was such a bitch.

"Sam." She turned to see Daniel standing in the doorway. "Ready?"

"Yeah. I guess," she muttered, following him out of the doorway and down to the courtyard. Daniel matched his step with hers. "Thought about what you're gonna say?"

She grimaced. "Somewhat," she replied. In fact, she had rehearsed endlessly. "But I'm not looking forward to this."

"Well, that makes one of us," Daniel grinned mischievously. "Because I can't _wait_ to see this, and I'm pretty sure Jack can't either."

Sam felt her stomach drop even further. She had spent years perfecting an attitude of indifference toward her CO. Admitting how she truly felt to anyone was a horrifying thought. Flashbacks from the night he rejected her haunted her mind, had been since the day it happened. The thought of declaring her feelings again to her CO, plus his wife, and her sure-to-be pissed off father, was downright debilitating.

Sam sighed disgustedly, eyes taking in the extra decorations and some sort of orchestra. Everyone was also dressed to the nines, enhancing the disparity between her dress and theirs.

She could see Jack and Mira sitting up front on huge fluffy pillows. Mira was practically in his lap, clutching Jack possessively. Vidas sat across from them on another pillow, talking animatedly to the couple. Jack caught Sam's eye, and she was treated to the same shit-eating grin he had bestowed upon her earlier when they had finalized the plan. Sam narrowed her eyes at him.

Daniel fell back and Sam continued the seemingly endless trek up the carpet leading to the front of the courtyard, revelers giving nothing but a casual glance as she brushed past them. She knew she was supposed to do this alone, and she was so not looking forward to it. After an interminable amount of time, she finally reached the front.

Jack gave an over-exaggerated wave. "Hey Sam!" he called out merrily, loud enough to get the attention of virtually everyone around. Mira, narrowing her eyes, didn't look quite so please at Sam's arrival. Vidas also turned and looked at her.

A hush fell over the crowd. Sam swallowed.

"Hello my dear," he said stiffly, and Jack realized Mira must've filled him in on their tiff from earlier. "Can I be of assistance?"

Sam had decided before she even left her room that she was NOT going to be anything other than the picture of confidence. It was bad enough that she had to do this. She was not going to let Jack enjoy her insecurity too. "I am here to invoke Prerecession."

Mira's mouth fell open. Jack was looking way more pleased than he should've been.

"Do we have to do this right now?" he said. "I haven't had any cake yet."

Sam ignored him and focused on the king. "I appeal to your sense of honor-"

Such as it is, Jack thought.

"-to break the bonds of this false marriage and return my...him...to me." Vidas stared at Sam. "You have the right to invoke Prerecession," he acquiesced. "But in order for me to break the bonds of this marriage, you have to explain why."

Sam was terrified. She had to explain why? Wasn't it obvious?

"Father!" Mira squeaked, and Vidas held his hand up for silence. "Daughter, if this one rightly claims Prerecession, then O'Neill is not the one of prophecy."

Jack feigned disappointment as gasps erupted from all over the celebration. Sam was confused. Prophecy?

"He is! He must be!" Mira clung to Jack like a life preserver. Prophecy or not, Sam realized, Mira didn't care. She loved Jack. That was certainly a feeling Sam could identify with, though it didn't garner any sympathy for the devious woman.

"Daughter." This time his voice held a warning, and Mira was silenced, hateful eyes turning in Sam's direction. Vidas also turned to Sam.

"Now, explain why you invoke Prerecession. Why was it not known at your arrival that he belonged to you?"

Sam was really proud of herself for not looking as horrified as she felt. Refusing to meet Jack's eyes, she took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Colonel O'Neill and I -"

"Colonel O'Neill?" Vidas echoed with raised eyebrows.

"Why would you be so formal about the one you loved?"

"Our relationship is...complicated..." she trailed off.

Vidas's eyes flashed. "It is either love or it is not. Your words are telling me you are a liar -"

"I am not a liar!" Sam retorted hotly. "You've said nothing so far to make me believe you have justifiably claimed Prerecession! I cannot believe you truly love him. And if that is the case, and cannot and will not take him away from my daughter."

Sam closed her eyes. She had rehearsed what she was going to say before she left her room, but she realized in that moment it wasn't good enough. Sam took a breath. Time to bite the bullet.

"But I do love Jack," she said softly, defeated, and Jack's teasing smile faded from his face. She's acting, he admonished himself sternly.

But she had called him Jack. Not Col O'Neill. Not Sir. Jack. He had never heard her say his first name before. It was sweet coming from her lips.

"I've always loved Jack. From the moment I met him years ago. Because of the rules of our world, we have not been permitted to be together. For years I tried to tell myself that I was satisfied just being near him, being his friend and fellow officer. I thought I had moved on several times, but I never really did. I tried to forget him, but I couldn't. I can't. I never will. He is mine, in my heart if in no other place."

Jack swallowed hard and reminded himself that Sam was a soldier. She was doing her job, and that was it. He knew he would have a hard time later trying to force this moment from his mind. She looked too sincere and it was torturing him.

Mira interrupted his inner dialogue. "You are saying you were never together," she hissed at Sam. "Prerecession is null if that is the case."

"No, it's not!" came a familiar voice in the crowd. All eyes turned to Daniel, and he emerged from the crowd and made his way to his friends.

"You aren't even from this place!" Mira argued. "What do you know of our laws?"

Daniel still had the book from earlier that afternoon clutched in his hands. "Not having an official relationship doesn't negate Prerecession. They would have been together had it not been for our own laws." He looked at Jack. "Isn't that right, Jack? Is that the only thing that kept you apart?"

Not trusting his voice, Jack wordlessly nodded.

Vidas looked intently at Jack, who was looking intently at Sam, who was looking intently at the ground. He sighed, resigned. "Prerecession has been established. The marriage is as if it never was." He turned to a heartbroken Mira.

"My daughter, before these newcomers arrived, three different young men had come to me asking for your hand. And I am sure there are several more who would have come. You will find a suitable husband. His tarnished honor does not tarnish yours."

"Hey," said Jack, offended. Mira still clung to him. "But the prophecy - "

"It may yet come true," he replied. "Or you may not be the daughter she spoke of. Perhaps your child, when you have one, will fulfill the prophecy."

Jack gently, but eagerly, extricated himself from Mira's grip. Vidas looked on him with disgust. "Leave us. You have caused my daughter enough pain."

Jack opened his mouth to bring up the argument that he'd pretty much been hoodwinked into this whole ordeal, but then realized he was tired of talking to this tool. Casting a somewhat apologetic look at Mira, who turned away angrily, Jack made his way down towards Sam.

When they were away from their audience, he knew he would have to pretend to be unaffected by Sam's words. But until that time, he allowed himself to put his arm around Sam's waist and gently guide her out of the courtyard. Daniel and Teal'c fell into step behind them, giving each other knowing glances.

No one spoke, and Jack was able to use that time to smack some sense into himself. Sam couldn't have feelings that intense for him. Why would she want him? She was young and beautiful. She might've felt something for him a week ago, but his rejection had surely killed those feelings. A few more moments of feeding himself those thoughts was enough for Jack to put the wall back up. He plastered an arrogant grin on his face.

Once they were back in her room Sam jerked from his embrace.

"Carterrrr," he drawled playfully, "don't be mad. What's the big deal? We got-"

"What's the big deal? _What's the big deal_?" Sam sputtered unbelievingly. She fixed him with an icy stare. "The big deal is that I had to humiliate myself in front of all of those people!"

"Now Carter, I wouldn't think of it like that if I were you," Jack interrupted. "Think of it as...taking one for the team." He grinned at her, and if Sam had not been so mortified her heart would've skipped a beat.

"_No_!" she seethed. "To have to admit that I'm in love with you in front of all those people-" the words had already left her mouth when she realized what she was saying, and the rest of her sentence died in her throat. Sam was horrified.

At least she had wiped that smug grin off his face, she thought as Jack gaped at her. The two stood, eyes locked, neither moving, both unsure of what to do next. Sam snapped out of it first and brushed past him to get out of there. Jack caught her arm and spun her around.

"Carter," he gasped, and Sam was unsure what the look on his face meant. "You mean....seriously?"

She jerked away again. "No. Of course not," she snapped, and a little of the light left Jack's eyes. "I just meant it was humiliating to make everyone think I did." It was a pretty pathetic lie and she knew it. Jack probably did too, but his eyes never left her face. "Carter, let's talk about this." He reached for her.

"NO! I don't want to talk about it! I don't want to even_ think_ about it! I've been doing nothing _but_ thinking about it since it happened. And I am tired of feeling this way!" Her mortification notched up another level as she felt tears spring to her eyes. "How do you think it felt? Watching you marry someone else?"

Unable to stomach the pot calling the kettle black, Jack was suddenly livid. "I don't know," he sneered. "Maybe you should ask David!"

This time Sam was speechless. Jack pointed a shaky finger in her direction, the only indication that he was anything other than deadly calm. "You had to _pretend_-" he spat the word - "to care about me for about five minutes to get us out of this mess and you'd think it was the end of the world. I've had to pretend for _years_ that I felt nothing for you! How do you think that felt?"

"Well it was one hell of a performance," Sam yelled, thinking of his past exploits. "You could've fooled me!"

Jack's face practically glowed red. "You obviously didn't give a shit either way! _David _was proof of that. Why shouldn't I at least try to be happy?"

"You can do whatever you want, for all I care!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

And with that Jack spun on his heel and he was out of there. Sam watched him go, deflating after he turned his back on her and disappeared from the room.

She stood, the silence of the empty room enveloping her. A sob escaped her throat. "I wasn't pretending to care," she whispered to herself. Sam allowed her tears to spill over and she sat down on the floor, trying not to sob too loudly.

Jack's hearing was pretty good, and her whispered confession stopped him in his tracks. He stood outside her door silently for a second, heart beating loudly in his chest.

Then he forced himself to keep walking.


	7. Chapter 7

The team wasted no time in getting the hell outta there and back to the Stargate. They stayed long enough to throw on their BDUs before meeting in the common room and discreetly exiting the premises.

Sam had not said so much as a word since her confrontation with Jack. She wouldn't meet anyone's eyes - not even Daniel's. It was obvious to all of them that she had been crying, and the three men didn't want to make her feel worse.

Daniel did throw Jack several dirty looks though.

They weren't too sure how Mira had gotten them into the city in the first place, but they weren't about to go back and ask. So they went to the place where they had first appeared in town with Mira and looked around. Eventually Sam pointed wordlessly toward a rock structure that looked similar to the one where Mira had first appeared to them. It took them a few minutes, but they finally got the portal to appear in the structure's doorway. This one had several panels inlaid in the rock. Sam had pressed several different buttons before the portal sprang to life.

We are soo outta here, Jack thought as he stepped through. The group emerged at the very spot they had first met Mira. He looked back to see Daniel and Teal'c follow them through. Jack caught Daniel's eye and gestured with his head. "Give us a few minutes, guys." Nodding understanding, Daniel and Teal'c headed toward the Stargate.

Jack and Sam were left alone, deafening silence all around them.

She still wouldn't look at him.

Jack exhaled. "Look, Sam. About earlier."

Sam held up her hand. She was broken at this point. "It's okay Sir," she said dully. "I'm glad we were able to get it all out in the open."

"What?"

"And I need to apologize. My feelings for you were an infatuation, and it was highly inappropriate of me. I'm sorry that I could've jeopardized your career in any way."

"What?" It was becoming his favorite word.

"This has taught me a valuable lesson Sir, and I can assure you that it won't happen again."

Jack placed a hand on each of her shoulders. "Sam. I love you."

This she had not expected. Sam backed up. "Don't say that Sir!"

"Carter goddammit, don't call me Sir at a time like this!"

"Why are you making this harder than it already is? I don't want to deal with this right now. I just want to be left alone."

Jack searched her face. What a weird reversal this had become from last week. "Sam. Please -"

"PLEASE JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" Jack could see that Sam was shaking. They stared at each other for just a moment. Then Jack caught something in his periphery.

Shit. He saw the device "warm up" - or whatever - before Sam did. To his horror, Jack realized that they'd been arguing in close enough proximity to activate the damn thing. And it was aiming straight for Sam.

Maybe it was his Black Ops training, or maybe it was the fact that he couldn't bear the thought of her being hurt. But without thinking, Jack moved to invade the beam's intercept course with Sam.

"Sir," she said, anger still flashing in her eyes. "What -"

By the time she noticed the device she wouldn't have had time to move. Not that it would have mattered. Time slowed as the statue discharged its poisonous light. In the next instant Jack was between her and the beam, facing Sam.

Light exploded behind him, and Sam watched as the look in Jack's face changed from intensity to blankness. Eyes glazing over. Legs giving out. He moved his mouth as he fell, trying to say something. Sam screamed. And screamed.

And screamed.


	8. Chapter 8

Jack sat in the infirmary on one of the beds, bored out of his mind. How long had he been sitting there? He realized there was a reason there were no clocks in doctor's offices. He knew he was fine, and he had things to do.

He had to see Sam. Had to apologize - make things right.

An eternity later Janet entered with General Hammond and...Sam. He felt his throat close. Sam, for her part, looked completely noncommittal. She could build a wall too, she decided.

"Hi Carter," he said hopefully. She nodded stiffly. Jack searched and couldn't see anything in her eyes other than strict professionalism.

"Good morning Colonel," Janet said pleasantly as the three approached. "How are you feeling?"

"The same as you when you asked me last night. I'm fine dammit." He became cantankerous when he was anxious.

"Well, that's certainly true," Janet replied, gracefully ignoring the attitude. She gave her charts another glance. "We've run a battery of tests and the alien beam seems to have left you unaffected."

"How can that be?" asked General Hammond. "I thought this device was deadly."

"It can be Sir," Janet replied. "But based on what I've read in their reports, the device can deactivate itself if the negative emotion is eliminated. I can only theorize that since Colonel O'Neill was willing to sacrifice himself, the beam was neutralized."

Jack was surprised to hear Sam's breath catch. The three turned to her, and Jack saw the emotionless expression crumbling from her face. "You mean..." Sam trailed off. "So he's alright? It didn't hurt him?"

"No," Janet replied with a confident smile. "He's perfectly fine and just as big a pain in the ass as he's always been."

Jack's heart constricted when he saw that Sam couldn't smile back at Janet. Instead, her lower lip trembled and tears threatened to spill over her luminous blue eyes. With that she spun on her heel and set a speed-walking record out of the infirmary. As she blew through the door Jack thought he heard a faint sob escape her.

Jack was in awe. Was that emotion for him? His safety? He knew that she was horrified to show emotion like that in front of her superior officers. Which must've meant is was too intense for her to hold back. Buoyed by hope, he ignored Janet and Hammond and tore out after her.

* * *

Sam was relieved to shut her lab door hard behind her and snap the lock. Angry at herself for not being able to contain her feelings, she impatiently wiped tears away, but they were quickly replaced by more.

Oh God. She had almost lost him, and it had been her fault. Another sob came out, and her whole body shook as she burst into tears of regret and relief. Making her way to the corner of her lab, she sank to the floor and buried her head in her hands. Violent sobs shook her whole body as the torrent of emotions she'd been feeling for that past week washed over her. She allowed herself to be caught up in the tide. She'd always prided herself on her near superhuman ability to bottle up her feelings for Jack, and now here she was, falling apart. Again.

No, not Jack, she corrected herself sternly. Col O'Neill. She couldn't allow herself to think of him as Jack. Her Jack. That put them on equal footing in her mind, and they were not. The frat regs made that very clear.

What killed her is that she had lied to him about how she felt. One week ago she had been willing to lay everything out on the line. Then, because she was angry and embarrassed that he knew her feelings, she'd tried to shove everything back into its box. She was brutally honest with herself: up until this point she believed if she could only bury her feelings for him again, it wouldn't hurt so much if something happened to him. The very nature of their job made that a possibility.

Well, she thought bitterly, that theory had been blown out of the water. When she saw him take the brunt of the beam - for her - and fall to the ground, she felt as if her heart had been ripped out. Sam realized that if he had died believing her lie, she would never have recovered. So it was time to stop playing games. She was afraid of the uncertainty that loomed ahead, but she had to make sure that -

There was a knock at the door. "Carter!" Jack's - no the Col's - voice. Still bawling her head off, Sam was horrified that he would see her like this, and started considering her options. Saying nothing and letting him keep looking elsewhere. Telling him to go away. Letting him in.

Turned out she didn't get to choose. Jack tested the door, found it locked, and started messing with it. "Carter," he said, a little more gently. "Let me in."

Taking a few more ragged breaths, she heard him fiddle with keys and she saw the knob turn. Damn him. Of course he would have a master key.

The door opened and Sam, having no time to hide, pulled her knees to her chest, folded her arms across them, and buried her head. She knew he would make her look at him eventually, but she needed to hide, at least for a moment.

At first Jack thought he'd been wrong, that no one was in there. But then he saw her in his peripheral vision and made his way to the corner of the room, feeling emotion rising in his chest.

Sam was desperately trying to control her sobs as Jack knelt down beside her. He was close enough to smell her shampoo, and he closed his eyes as he inhaled that scent. "Sam," he said softly, and her breath caught at the sound of her first name from his lips. "Tell me." It was more a plea than an order.

She wasn't used to his asking - he ordered, and she did it. However, that was their AF relationship. The gentleness in his voice made her forget her tears and she looked up - into cocoa colored eyes that she was sure mirrored her own pain.

She wasn't sure what she was going to say - when he looked at her like that it was hard to breathe. Sam took a shaky breath and looked down. "When you were hit...I thought I had lost you. All I could think about was what a fool I had been...so many things I wanted to tell you, and I thought the chance was gone forever." Her breath caught again. "I thought _you_ were gone forever...and when I realized you were going to be okay..." She trailed off. "And the only thing I could think about was that you could've died without knowing - knowing -"

Jack's finger crooked under her chin and lifted her face to his. "Knowing what?" The intensity in his eyes caused sharp stabs of emotion to run through her. Trembling, she looked down again. "You know how I feel..."

Her head was lifted back up. Intense brown eyes stared into her. "I wanna hear you _say_ it."

Those eyes held something she had seen before. Hope. The same look he had earlier before she shut him down. "You could have died without knowing that _I love you_."

No one could accuse Jack O'Neill of being a sap, but at that moment, he was one. Jack was blown away. He hadn't fully understood the enormity of her feelings for him until this moment. He knew from the conversation several days ago, and eavesdropping on her earlier, that she had feelings for him, but never had he thought for a minute that they ran this deep. He hadn't allowed himself to believe that she felt this much for him.

Sam blinked back tears, and something shifted in Jack. The empty part of his soul had been replaced with something. Jack sucked in his breath. Sam wouldn't look at him. He sat down next to her, and again lifted her chin to his face.

Her eyes closed. She had stopped crying at that point, but tears were still streaming down her face. Gently, he kissed her next to one eye, then the other. The hand holding up her chin slid to the side of her cheek and wiped the tears away.

"Sir -" Sam began shakily. Jack put a finger to her lips.

"Not 'Sir,'" he said huskily. "Jack. And I love you too."

She started at him with large blue eyes. "Jack."

He wasn't able to speak at that moment, so he kissed her instead.


	9. Chapter 9

One year later...

Looking around uncertainly, Jack was starting to feel overwhelmed. Oh for cryin' out loud, he thought, disgusted with himself. He had been in Black Ops, was a Colonel in the USAF, and had seen things both awe-inspiring and horrible. And yet none of it compared to what he was going up against now.

Jack was surrounded by a sea of pink. A little self-conscious, he walked over to a wall of teensy onesies. Scanning the rows up and down, he tried not to grin like an absolute idiot, but he couldn't help himself. His eyes landed on one outfit in particular, which announced that the wearer was "Daddy's Girl."

She's going to need that, Jack decided, picking it up off the rack.

Apparently baby clothes didn't come in small, medium and large like everything else, a fact he'd forgotten. It had been a long time since he'd done anything like this. He looked at the tag. The one he was holding said 3-6 months. He dug around until he'd found a smaller one. Jack went to put the bigger one back, then thought better of it. He held onto both sizes, and then grabbed a 6-9 month one too.

Where is the next bigger size? He wondered, looking around.

Then he heard a sweet, familiar laugh.

Sam had been watching him for awhile, he realized. He met her gaze and grinned, just a little embarrassed. Sam made her way down the aisle, smiling. As she got closer he could see that she was blinking back tears. "More outfits?"

Jack held them up, proudly showing her the words emblazoned on the front. "Everyone needs to know who she is."

"Oh, I'm sure there'll be no doubt about that," Sam laughed. She turned to look at the other outfits, and Jack stood behind her, his arms encircling her growing waist. She was showing considerably now. He put both hands protectively on her stomach and kissed her cheek. "I love you."

She turned and rewarded him with a dazzling smile. "I love you too."

His eyes grew serious for a moment. "Are you sure?"

"Seriously? Of course I am." Her smile faded and she looked concerned. "What's wrong?"

He looked a little nervous. "You gave up a lot for me, Sam. It would tear me up if you ended up resenting me later."

The smile returned. "I did give up a lot," she conceded, "but I got so much more in return." Sam put her arms around his neck and leaned in against him, inhaling his scent. "I don't miss the Air Force as much as you might think. Besides, I still get to work at the SGC as a civilian. With all the discoveries being brought back through the gate, I have more than enough to keep me busy. I go to work with you in the morning and I go home with you at night. I get to have you. And I get to have your baby." Her eyes misted over again. "I have the best of both worlds."

Jack felt the last of his fear slip away as he closed his eyes and held her. He hadn't believed that he could be happy again. He thought his chance had come and gone. But here she was. He had no idea why Sam loved him so much, but he wasn't going to question it. He had a family again.

Sam lifted her head and looked at him. "I'm hungry."

Jack knew better than to mess around with that. Tucking the outfits under his arm, he took Sam's hand and together they walked to the front of the store. "I'll pay for these," he said, "if you want to wait in the car."

"I am a little tired," she admitted, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "My car or your truck?"

"Mine," he replied. "We'll come back and pick your car up after I feed you. Where do you want to go?"

"I don't know. But I want sauerkraut. And a doughnut."

Jack threw back his head and laughed. "We'll figure something out." She grinned and gave him another kiss before heading outside.

Jack watched her go. He had been resigned to being alone for the rest of his life. Now his future opened sweetly before him, full of promise and possibilities.

Jack stuck his hand into the right pocket of his leather jacket, making sure his earlier purchase was still there. He felt his hand close over the ring box. Smiling to himself, he paid for all three sizes and eagerly headed out the door.


End file.
